Quentin Coryatt and Four ´91 Wrecking Crew to be Honorary Game Captains
Sep 15, 2005 | Football
September 15, 2005
Five members of Texas A&M's 1991 Wrecking Crew defense which was ranked No. 1 by the NCAA at season's end will serve as honorary game captains for the Aggies' game against SMU on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Kyle Field.
Former linebackers Quentin Coryatt, Jason Atkinson, and Steve Solari will join defensive backs Chris Crooms and Derrick Frazier for a pregame introduction. Earlier in the morning, the five former players will sign autographs and pose for photos while meeting fans in the Aggie Fan Zone's Former Athlete Autographs tent presented by the 12th Man Foundation.
In 1991, the Aggies posted a 10-2 record as they captured the first of three straight Southwest Conference Championships. The team was picked to finish fourth in the SWC in preseason balloting.
The Wrecking Crew defense finished the season ranked No. 1 by the NCAA in total defense (222.4 yards per game) and in passing defense (136.4 yards per game). The defense finished No. 7 nationally in points allowed (13.1) and in No. 4 in rushing defense (86.0).
Some of the records set by the '91 defense that still stand are:
Most sacks in a season (56)
Most sack yardage in a season (388 yards)
Most average sacks per game (5.1)
Fewest completions allowed in game (0 vs. Arkansas)
Atkinson, a second-team All-SWC selection, led the Aggies in total tackles in '91 with 95, but the most memorable single tackle belongs to Coryatt.
During the game at TCU, Coryatt became a mainstay of every football highlight show. Early in the first quarter, Coryatt separated TCU receiver Kyle McPherson from the football with a devastating hit that broke McPherson's jaw in three places. The collision was labeled the "Hit of the Year" by ESPN.
Coryatt, a second team All-American, an All-SWC selection and the SWC Defensive Player of the Year, was drafted second in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft by Indianapolis. Crooms, a second team All-SWC pick, was selected in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Rams. The following season Frazier, also a second-team All-SWC selection, was a third round pick by Philadelphia.
Frazier and Crooms helped anchor the secondary during their time in Aggieland. Frazier broke up a record 36 passes over four years which still ranks No. 1 all-time at A&M.
Also appearing at the Aggie Fan Zone autograph area will be members of the 1975 A&M defense which was ranked No. 1 nationally. Scheduled to be signing autographs and posing for photos are Ed Simonini, Tank Marshall, Robert Jackson, and Jimmy Dean.
Tickets for the Aggies' home opener are available by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 979-845-2311 or toll-free at 1-888-99-AGGIE. Tickets are also available on-line at AggieAthletics.com.
